The Postcolonial Experience: The South East Asian Short Story in English

Abstract

Historically speaking, the South East Asian short story in English has progressed from its tentative beginnings in the late nineteenth century to a more assertive present-day position, documenting along the way the political, social and personal struggles of the people of the subcontinent. Concerns about writing in English have largely given way to full confidence in the language’s ability to convey the Indian and Pakistani experience, both at home and abroad. The brief survey below will hint at many of the rewards of teaching the Indian and Pakistani short story in English. The list of authors worthy of students’ attention grows almost daily, as more and more collections of stories become readily available in the West. The success of the US-based Jumpha Lahiri, whose Interpreter of Maladies won a Pulitzer Prize, may even have widened the readership for such material.